Rushing offense

Cadillac Williams has survived a torn patellar tendon on each knee the last two years and been a decent halfback this year. The 27-year-old, who as a rookie rushed for 1,178 yards, is running hard as Bucs' primary back and averaging 4.1 yards a carry.

In the offseason, the Bucs signed former New York Giants halfback Derrick Ward to a four-year, $17 million deal that included $6 million in guarantees. He's averaging 4.0 yards on about half as many carries as Williams.

Their best run blocker is right guard Davin Joseph (6-feet-3, 313), a first-round pick from the 2006 draft who went to the Pro Bowl last year.

Passing offense

The Bucs are winless in large part because they don't have a quarterback, though they hope first-round pick Josh Freeman, the No. 17 selection overall, solves those problems in the long term. In the short term, as in this week, they'll be at a huge disadvantage because Freeman is making his first NFL start on Sunday.

Going into last year's draft, some scouts considered Freeman the most talented quarterback prospect because he's a huge man (6-5 ¾, 248 pounds) with a big arm and good mobility. But he was unrefined coming out of Kansas State after his junior season and probably is looking at a long learning curve. The Bucs have been bringing him along slowly and stuck with their plan to not start him until after their bye, which was last week.

He's had two weeks to prepare for the Packers, but it's a safe bet defensive coordinator Dom Capers will try to overwhelm Freeman with his zone-blitz scheme.

"Green Bay's going to throw a lot at him," a scout said.

The Bucs' best player is tight end Kellen Winslow (6-4, 240), though they've sometimes had trouble getting him the ball - he's tied for ninth in the league for receptions by tight ends with 31.

"A mismatch player because of the way the way they move him around," a scout said. "He's too athletic for a linebacker to cover, and he's kind of big for a secondary guy to cover."

Receiver Antonio Bryant (16 receptions, 14.3-yard average) is playing for the franchise tender of $9.884 million but has been a shell of the player he was last season because of the quarterback problems.

Left tackle Donald Penn (6-5, 305), is a fourth-year pro who came into the league as an undrafted rookie out of Utah State but looks like a quality pass protector.

Rushing defense

The talented Tampa Bay defenses that were among the NFL's best in the late 1990s to early 2000s are ancient history. The Bucs rank No. 27 in yards allowed and No. 29 in points allowed in large part because their defensive line consists of mostly stopgaps and rejects.

Earlier this season they traded their most talented defensive lineman, end Gaines Adams, to Chicago. Tackle Chris Hovan is a 10-year pro in major decline, and tackle Ryan Sims is just a big body (6-4, 315) who never panned out as the No. 6 pick overall by Kansas City in the 2002 draft.

"They traded away Gaines Adams, who I thought was one of their better players," a scout said. "So I don't know, it's the Tampa defense but without the Tampa players. No Derrick Brooks, no Warren Sapp, no safeties."

Their best player on this side of the ball probably is middle linebacker Barrett Ruud (6-2, 241).

"A guy that flies around the football, little bit of a sideline to sideline player," a scout said. "Always around the football kind of a guy."

Passing defense

By hiring former Packers coordinator Jim Bates, the Bucs signaled a move away from the Tampa-2 scheme that Monte Kiffin made famous while directing their defense from 1996 through 2008 to Bates' more bump-and-run oriented coverages.

But opposing quarterbacks have a passer rating of 102.1 points against the Bucs mainly because they don't have much of a pass rush (No. 22 in the NFL in sacks percentage).

Bates at least has a talented cornerback in Aqib Talib (6-1, 205), who has four interceptions.

"Really aggressive and very good at playing press coverage," a scout said. "He's got nice speed, good movement, he's a guy that has a long build to him so when he runs with you he's usually in good position, he can get his hands on you and try to slow you up, but if you try and go by him he can run with you."

The problem is, Bates has had to resort to blitzing far more than he likes. Cornerback Ronde Barber, a savvy 13-year pro, is dangerous blitzing from the slot in the nickel defense, but overall the Bucs have paid. Safety Sabby Piscitelli has had major tackling problems at times, and like most bad defenses the Bucs have been prone to giving up big plays - they've allowed nine receptions of 37 yards or more.

"It's a bad team," a scout said.

Special teams

The Bucs made their second in-season change at kicker, which tells you everything you need to know about their kicking game. They signed Connor Barth after a workout Tuesday to replace Shane Andrews, who was 0-for-1 in the last four games but reportedly was missing too many kicks in practice. Barth was 10-for-12 on field goals for Kansas City last year.

Rookie Sammie Stroughter had a 97-yard kickoff return for a touchdown against Carolina.

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Tampa Bay Buccaneers scouting report vs. Green Bay Packers

Following is a scouting report on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers based on interviews with several coaches and scouts whose teams recently played them.♦ Sign up for Green Bay Packers text alerts.The

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